Lhasa Top Things to Do

Higghtlights of Lhasa

1. Follow monks, mendicants and fellow pilgrim around The Barkhor, Lhasa’s fascinating medieval pilgrim circuit.
2. Join the shuffling lines of awed pilgrims around the glowing shrines of the Jokhang Temple, Tibet’s holiest temple.
3. Go down into the bowels of the Potala Palace, the impressive but spiritless citadel of the Dalai Lamas, from the fifth to the 14th.
4. Take in a prayer meeting or some monk-debating as Sera Monastery and Drepung, Two of the largest and most intact of Tibet’s great monasteries.
5. Catch the pilgrim bus for a day out to Ganden Monastery and test your sin on its fascinating kora (pilgrim path).
6. Explore the traditional whitewashed architecture, teashops and craft workshops of Lhasa’s backstreets on our Old Town Walking Tour.
7. Track down one of Lhasa’s off-the-beaten-track temples, such as the Meru Nyingba Monastery or Tengye Ling.

What to see

the Potala Palace: The Potala Palace, which is now on the list of Chinese national key protected cultural relics, is the most valuable storehouse in Tibet. It is a huge treasure house for materials and articles of Tibetan history, religion, culture and arts. The Palace is widely known for the precious sculptures, murals, scripture, Buddha figures, murals, antiques, and religious jewelry treasured up, they are of great cultural and artistic value. In 1994, the Potala Palace was declared the United Nations World Cultural Heritage site. The magnificent Potala Palace is made of wood and stone. All the walls are of granite, and all the roofs and windows are of wood. The overhanging eaves, the upturned roof corners, and the gilded brass tiles and gilded pillars inscribed with Buddhist scriptures, bottles, and makara fish as well as the gold-winged birds decorating the roof ridges contribute much to the beauty of the hip-and-gable roofs.

Drepung Monastery: Drepung Monastery lies in west of Lhasa under Mt. Gambo Utse, clustered round by the black mountain, its white grand buildings shining under the sunlight. Built in 1416, it is considered as one of the largest monasteries in the six principle monasteries of Gelu Sect in China. Drepung Monastery used to be the living palace of Dalai Lamas before the reconstruction of Potala palace (after the 5th Dalai Lamas was bestowed by Qing emperor Qianlong). In this monastery, the most important project is Shaidafo (a Buddha), which holds in the first day of the grand Shonton Festival ceremony in the early part of august every year.

Jokhang Temple: Located in the centre of old Lhasa city, the Johkang Monastery is a prime seat of the Gelugpa (Yellow) of the Tibetan Buddhism. It was first built in 647AD. In 643AD, eighteen-year-old Princess Wencheng in Tang Dynasty reached Lhasa. There were three life-sized statues of Sakyamuni in the world. One is eight years old, another twelve years old and the last eighteen years old. Originally, the life-sized statue of Sakyamuni aged 16 was in India, however, it sank into the Indian Ocean in the religious war. Thus, the life-sized statue of Sakyamuni aged 12 was the most precious one. Songtsen Gampo constructed the Ramoche Monastery for Princess Wencheng to house the statue, and he also built the Johkang Monastey for Nepalese Princess Khidzun.

Sera Monastery: It is located in the southern slope of the Serawoze Mountain of the northern suburb of Lhasa. The monastery was built by SagyaYexei, one of the disciples of Tsongkhapa who was the founder of Gelugpa of the Tibet Buddhism in 1419. It is one of the six main monasteries of the Gelugpa of the Tibetan Buddhism. As one of the three main monasteries of Lhasa, it is here that the monks “famous daily debates” take place. Tips: Every day (except Mondays) at 15:00, there is a debate about Buddhist doctrines among the monks at Sera Monastery. The debating is held in the grounds and is a necessary way of learning sutras and scriptures. Visitors can watch the debate, but it is advised to keep quiet.

Ramoche Temple
Considered the most important temple in Lhasa after the Jokhang Temple, Ramoche Temple often called "Little Jokhang Temple". Located in the east of the Potala of North Lhasa City, the Ramoche Temple covers a total area of 4,000 square meters. Ramoche has a long history, and was built at the same time as the Jokhang. Throughout history it has suffered destruction by fire and the Mongol invasion, and has been rebuilt several times. In the days of King Songtsan Gampo (617-649), founder of the Tibetan Empire, Ramoche Temple was originally built to house the famous statue of Sakyamuni, now found in the Jokhang, which was brought to Tibet by Princess Wen Cheng. The main building in the temple has three parts. The first part includes an atrium, a scripture hall, and a Buddha palace with winding corridors. The third part was the bedroom once reserved for Dalai Lama. Upon entering the main building, one can see the ten pillars holding some of the remaining Tibetan relics such as the encased lotus flowers, coiling cloud, jewelry, and particular Tibetan Characters. The golden peak of the temple with the Han-style upturned eave can be seen from any direction in Lhasa city. Needless to say, the temple is a wonderful example of the combination of Han and Tibetan architectural styles.

Where to eat

Snow-lands Restaurant:International kitchen including, Tibetan, Chinese, Indian and Nepali dishes. Yak pepper steak with home fries and sautéed vegetable is superb and a relative bargain at US5.50. The Indian dishes are particularly good, especially the small but tasty chicken tikka masala ($5).

New Mandala Restaurant: This Nepali-run restaurant is definitely a winner for its fine views over the Barkhor, either from the 2nd floor or the sunny rooftop. The inside features some lovely and ornate Tibetan murals. It also sells packaged Nepali foods such as muesli and soup mixes. The owner runs the Tashi restaurants in Shigatse and Tsetang.

Pentoc Tibetan Restauran: The menu includes breakfast (eggs, Tibetan bread, pancake, curd) and it's a good place to try home-made Tibetan standards like momos (dumplings), thugpa (noodles), shemdre (rice, potato and yak meat).

Dunya Restaurant: With sophisticated décor, excellent and wide-ranging food (from yak enchiladas to Indonesian noodles), this cosy foreign-run place feels like a 'real' restaurant. It's pricier than most other places in town but the food is authentic, from the oregano-flavored pizza crust to the Italian imported pasta.

Makye Amye Restaurant: Makye Amye is a mix of Western, Nepali and Tibetan cuisine restaurant. It's a great place to kick back with a coke or a cup of tea and watch the pilgrims on the Barkhor below. The legend said that Six Dalai Lama met the famed Tibetan beauty Makye Amye here and composed a famous poem about her.

Ethnic Restaurant:Ethnic Restaurant may be specialized in Tibetan cuisine which is focus on the beef and lamp meet. It may hard to find western food here, but you should not miss the local taste of Tibetan if you are used to the dining custom here.

Lhasa Kitchen Restaurant: It is a very special restaurant and the name of it will tell guests what may be eat here. Try to image, when refer to the word “kitchen”, there will be countless dishes that can be found. And the most exciting thing may be to eat full during our leisure time.
Add: Tibetan Hospital Road, Lhasa (opposite to Snow Land Hotel)
Tel: 0891-6348855

where to shopping

Gedun Choephel Artists’ Guild: It is an exhibition hall for a dozens modern Tibetan artists. It’s a rare opportunity to view Tibetan modern art free from religious convention. Location: the Barkhor circuit.

Barkhor Circuit: Many people call the Barkhor “the window of Tibet” as it exhibits typical Tibetan life. There are lots of stalls selling everything a visiting Tibetan or tourist might possibly need. Popular purchases include prayer wheels, rings, daggers, prayer scarves and prayer flags, all of which are fairly portable.

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